Erik Wahl

Synthesizer of Art and Business
Erik Wahl
  • Popular TED Speaker and graffiti artist who paints a portrait of leadership in the 21st century
  • Ignites creativity and breakthrough thinking by looking beyond “business as usual”
  • Embraces challenges and advises audiences to fail fast and fail forward
  • Unlocks potential by teaching others to UNthink and revamp the way they do business

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Erik Wahl is a globally acclaimed artist, a renowned keynote speaker, and the author of two bestsellers that reached No. 1. His presentation offers a truly unique experience for your audience. With over two decades of delivering his engaging, interactive, and multi-dimensional keynotes, Erik stands as the "wow" factor to kickstart your conference with dynamism. His most recent keynote goes beyond excellence; it's genuinely transformative. Erik's distinct fusion of humor, artistic expression, and entrepreneurial wisdom has made him one of today's most sought-after corporate speakers. 

When Erik graces the stage, his thought-provoking presentation ignites innovation and artistic expression through mental agility. His core message is crystal clear: in this age of perpetual disruption, businesses must fully embrace mental flexibility, or they risk becoming obsolete. Some organizations will face disruption, while others will seize the opportunity to become the disruptors and gain a competitive edge. 

Art's purpose is to stimulate thought. It elicits both thought and emotion unlike any other form of communication. Art is the key to unlocking intellectual curiosity, and dynamic thinking represents our boundless human ability to create, care, and connect with one another. It fosters trust, compassion, relationships, leadership, and service. Art transcends automation, providing a conduit to connect with others on a profoundly human level, beyond the confines of algorithms. Art and thought serve as a gateway to higher dimensions of complex problem-solving. 

In a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding, anything that can be automated will ultimately be automated. The question arises: How do we ensure that we do not succumb to generative AI? The answer lies in human creativity – the mental adaptability and flexibility required of professionals at all levels to avoid obsolescence. 

Erik's presentation is meticulously crafted to set your event off to a dynamic start. He activates the essential components necessary to translate ideas into action. His innovative thinking has earned accolades from prominent figures in both the art and business domains. Erik's bestselling books have been hailed by Forbes Magazine as "The blueprint to actionable creativity" and by Fast Company Magazine as "provocative with a purpose. 

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Erik Wahl Keynote Speaker Reel 2024

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Keynote Speaker | Erik Wahl

Erik Wahl: The Discipline of Creativity

The Future of Virtual

The art of vision: The most effective way to gain a sustainable advantage in the business world is by setting yourself apart from your competitors. In this engaging and highly practical program, we will explore innovative methods to enhance your organization's creativity, innovation, and profitability. Additionally, we will emphasize the importance of equipping your employees with storytelling skills, both within your company and throughout your industry. 

By adopting innovative approaches, professionals at all levels can achieve exceptional levels of performance by distinguishing themselves creatively and visibly from the competition. Whether you lead a small company or a large corporation, employees at all levels will be better equipped to face the future with increased innovation, productivity, and, ultimately, greater profitability.  

Adapting to Continuous Disruption: 

  • Businesses must embrace mental flexibility 

  • Avoid obsolescence in an age of disruption 

  • Some organizations face disruption, while others gain a competitive edge as disruptors 

  • The Power of Art unlocks intellectual curiosity 

  • Dynamic thinking enhances human potential, nurtures trust, compassion, relationships, leadership, and service 

  • Transcends automation 

  • Connects on a deeply human level 

  • Acts as a gateway to complex problem-solving 

Facing the Challenge of AI: 

  • Automation's inevitable advance 

  • The risk of falling behind generative AI 

  • The solution: Human creativity 

  • Mental adaptability and flexibility are crucial for staying relevant 

The Art of Leadership. Today’s leaders face a pressure to innovate – or else perish – unlike any other time in history.  Advances in social, mobile, and cloud technology coupled with fierce global competition have made the business landscape nearly unrecognizable from what it was a mere 10 years ago. 

Erik Wahl’s entertaining and invigorating Art of Leadership presentation paints a compelling new portrait for what the successful leaders of tomorrow will look like. He inspires audiences to shed old ways of thinking and “business as usual” processes that are outdated, inefficient, and detrimental to productivity. Audience members learn new ways to build an emotional connection to drive future employee engagement.  Erik’s presentation stretches traditional assumptions on leadership. The end results include: 

  • Innovative solutions to further your organization 

  • Attracting and engaging quality employees 

  • New efficiencies and the end of detrimental redundancies 

Growth and comfort cannot co-exist. When leaders come from a place of authenticity, curiosity, exploration, and purpose, this leads to more meaningful connections among team members and with clients and customers – and ultimately, a more profitable organization. An engaged employee equals an engaged customer. 

The Spark and the Grind the discipline of creativity. It’s one thing to understand the importance of creativity to the success of your business, but what most people don’t understand is to how to put a structure in place so that innovation can find its way. The paradox of creativity is that structure creates freedom. Even the wildest minds require extreme orderliness and attention to detail so that they have the space and discipline to create. 

Consider: 

  • Beethoven sat down everyday at daybreak, regardless of season, and composed until 3:00pm. 

  • Kafka started writing at 11:30pm each night. 

  • Mozart taught lessons by day and composed only in the evenings. 

  • Picasso ate lunch each day with his family in silence and only allowed visitors one day per week. 

  • Mark Twain awoke at 5:30 am, ate a hearty breakfast, and wrote until 5:00 pm. 

This program will allow your organization to: 

  • Deconstruct the discipline of the creative process to ignite ideas to action. 

  • Explores The Psychology of Success and the Science of Innovation to achieve superior levels of performance. 

  • Harness The mental toughness required to navigate ambiguity and master complexity in a rapidly changing business environment 

  • Disruption is the new normal. Are you creating or reacting? 

Erik and Tasha Wahl Interview. 60 minutes curated Q and A with Tasha and Erik Wahl to talk about 20 years of growing a business and consulting for organizations worldwide, 29 years of marriage, and honest conversations about growth, failure, resistance and gratitude. 

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